Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Baked Penne with Marinara-Meat Sauce and Cheese

I made this recipe after scoping out some recipes on the Interwebs, and I modified it according to how I wanted to do it. 

Ingredients

2 28oz. cans of crushed tomatoes (I prefer the ones at Aldi because they seem sweeter than other crushed tomatoes I've used.)

Extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped finely

1 stalk of celery, chopped finely (optional)

1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped finely (optional)

3 TB of minced garlic

3-4 TB of dried basil

2-3 TB of dried oregano

1 TB of dried red pepper flakes

2-4 TB of butter (optional)

Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste (I like a lot of black pepper)

1 lb. of ground beef

3-4 TB of beef broth (optional)

1 box of penne pasta

9 slices of provolone cheese

Sour cream

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

Finely chopped Italian parsley 

Process

The celery and carrot are optional. Sometimes I make my basic marinara with them. Sometimes I don't. 

Coat a Dutch oven or large pot with olive oil over medium-high heat. Dump in the onion, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute until well cooked. Reduce to medium heat and put in the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. 

Add in the crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Set to low and cover the top with a crack on the side to let the sauce breathe. 

I watched a cooking show a while back, and they advocated for putting butter in a marinara sauce because apparently it's a move some Italians make. It adds some complexity to the sauce. Take it or leave it. 

As the sauce is churning away, brown the ground beef on medium-highish heat. Once fully cooked, drain the beef on a plate lined with paper towels. And then add to the sauce. Add in some beef broth is so desired. 

I usually cook down my marinara sauce for anywhere from 2 to 5 hours with me stirring from time to time. I let my sauce cook for a while and then added the beef and broth about an hour before I was ready to assemble everything. 

Cook the penne pasta and drain. Take all of the pasta and add it to the sauce and mix well. Combine it all together. 

In a large, deep baking dish, add half of the pasta and sauce mixture. On top of it create a layer of provolone slices and smear some sour cream on top of the cheese slices. Then sprinkle heavily with mozzeralla and then parmesan. Add the remaining pasta and sauce mixture and sprinkle the top with mozzeralla, parmesan, and finely chopped Italian parsley. 

Bake at 375 degrees on the middle rack for 20-30 minutes.